Due to customer concerns about unacceptable behavior in the stairwell, the northwest stairwell exterior door in the East River Road Garage will be locked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, beginning on Tuesday, February 26.

A U Card reader has been installed on the door that will allow unlimited access to that stairwell for anyone with an active U Card.

Parkers without a U Card will be required to use the center lobby in the garage.

The northwest stairwell exterior door opens to the outside near the rear of Comstock Hall.

If you have any questions regarding parking, please email parking@umn.edu or call 612-626-PARK (7275).

Interactive Campus Map Adds Safe Walking Services

Posted: 10/31/18

The campus interactive map has been updated with safe walking resources to help faculty, staff, and students make safe choices traveling around campus.

Use the interactive map to find emergency phones, the Gopher Way, information about the Safe Walk service, and additional resources.

Beginning on October 17, Pillsbury Drive is restricted to passenger vehicles only between Pleasant Street and the Williamson Hall loading dock driveway, due to a recent structural analysis review that shows distress in the Williamson Hall tunnel underneath Pillsbury Drive.

The section between the Williamson Hall loading dock driveway and Church Street is now restricted to 7.5 tons. Deliveries to the Williamson dock area need to come and go via Church Street.

Temporary signage is in place now. Permanent signs will be implemented as soon as possible.

PTS and Facilities Management will work on a long-term solution for this issue.

Church Street Now a Vehicle Free Zone

Update 01/03/19: Beginning in Fall 2018, Church Street (between Lilly Plaza Drive and Washington Avenue) was designated and redesigned as a “Restricted Vehicle Zone” (RVZ) for pedestrian and bicycle access only. Access for vehicles is only by authorized and permitted vehicles. In order to accommodate those with delivery or service needs with locations along Church Street in the most accessible manner, a building-by-building plan has been developed to provide the most convenient access possible to campus buildings, considering the restrictions in place. Contact parking@umn.edu for more information.

Posted 8/28/2018

Beginning August 28, 2018, the newly-renovated Church Street from Lilly Plaza to Washington Avenue will re-open as a vehicle free zone from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Church Street is a high volume, north-south pedestrian connection that experiences elevated bicycle and pedestrian activity during core academic hours and this new restriction is intended to alleviate conflict and congestion during that timeframe.

This summer, the section between Lilly Plaza and Washington Avenue was redesigned to create an environment that prioritizes safer pedestrian movements. Before the project, access was limited to authorized vehicles. The removal of vehicular traffic, including authorized vehicles, during peak demand hours will free up additional capacity for pedestrians and bicycles. This change aligns with the pedestrian priority guidelines of the 2009 Twin Cities Master Plan, which call for the University to:

Establish vehicle-free zones where pedestrian volumes, iconic open spaces, and adjacent land use patterns preclude use except by pedestrians or cyclists

Develop pedestrian connections that will:

Continue to share corridors with other modes of movement along streets or paths

Enable pedestrians to the most direct route between major destinations

Prioritize pedestrian movement over other modes of travel when possible

“Recent projects on Church Street made access to adjacent buildings unavailable. Parking & Transportation Services, U Market Services, and other stakeholders worked to find alternative ways to serve these access needs. The solutions to serve the buildings helped everyone realize this change was possible,” said Ross Allanson, director of Parking & Transportation Services.

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus is the third largest traffic generator in the Twin Cities metro area. University buses transport more than three million riders each year around the campus and the University offers more than 19,000 campus parking spaces. The mission of University of Minnesota Parking & Transportation Services is to facilitate safe and effective integrated transportation systems that provide services for pedestrians, bicycles, transit and vehicles. For more information, visit pts.umn.edu, e-mail parking@umn.edu or call 612‑626‑7275.